Did you guys se the article in the current Surfing issue? What do you guys think? Do you think that most of the pros will eventually be riding epoxyboards for small wave contests? Although the boards delaminate and have other problems related to heat etc., they are light. Do you guys think that the quality will ever be good enough for the consumer to buy? DA
I thought what Eric Arakawa said was more pertinent. As many here can tell you, using epoxy on Clark foam makes a very comparable product to both molded boards and boards built with XTR or EPS foams. Each of these cores have advantages and disadvantages and what we are seeing today is the first glimmer of what effect these differing core materials have on performance. Depending on the final use, many different cores will be at the crux of the near future of surfboard construction. We are also on the verge of seeing composites of different foams in one product creating controlled flex patterns, along with controlled buoyancy coefficients and weight distribution. Tying yourself to any one core material will, in the future, not be a reasonable option as the advantages of each become important to design parameters dictated by differing conditions. But in the end, all should be laminated with epoxy.
Look at their surfing environment: 1) With few limitations, they’re paid to ride whatever the sponsors produce. 2) They can ride throwaway boards as they don’t have to pay for them. 3) If you think your present board doesn’t work very well or well enough, let a pro ride it and show you how it’s done. 4) Media puts them into all kinds of top quality waves, then publishes the shots to make the pros and their boards look good. You don’t see the crash and burns. 5) A minor amount of maturity (and a major amount of honesty) will suggest that few of us are a good as we used to think we were. Each of us has to look at his/her own abilities, how much you’ll pay for a board, how long it should last, where we surf and how often the waves are “good”. A realistic approach, geared to the average rather than the (very rare) exceptional, would prevent a lot of the excesses of boards, materials, attitudes and attempts at maneuvers that are so obvious to the mentally mature surfer.
I think what you will see, instead, is that board makers will increasingly develop throwaway boards with purported benefits in the form of the oh so abstract improved ride quality. They will sell you something better the first time you ride it, that will break sooner. This way they make more money, both by charging more for the initial product, and by replacing it at increasing intervals. This is exactly what happened with flex wetsuits, which are better at first, but wear out far more quickly. No one is working on making a flex neoprene last longer - the market forces are working on making it better at first, and wear out sooner. The pros will be tools of commerce, as usual, and it works for them because throwing away boards has little cost.
Just to toss something else in, considering my suspicious nature… if the pros are using epoxy boards, does that mean that the molded Thailand epoxy crap suddenly gets some ‘credibility’? That is, epoxy popout brands can advertise as ‘just like the pros use’?
… if a pro is paid/perked enough, theyll ride whatever (and for whoever) gets the job done. It shouldnt be a surprise to see world contest wins by pros on popouts. And it doesnt matter how long a board lasts if theyre provided for free. Cut through all the b.s. and none of this bears any relation to the average surfer`s best interests.
Believe me, the pro’s hate throw away boards as much as anyone. What they’re riding today is what the surfboard industry is making available to them. Their just as pissed as anyone when a favorite breaks. It is true, they’ll ride who pays them. And just how long will it be before Andy or Kelly are riding for Surftech? What impact will that have? But beyond that, I personally take pride in my work and I don’t want to be looking up Randy French’s ass because they make something better than I make. As for planned obsolescence, blakestah, sure did work for Detroit, didn’t it? And as for credibility, they have it! Ask the dealers. In business you either make dust or eat dust. The writings on the wall folks. Do nothing and watch what happens. Make an effort to progress and watch the imports fade away. It is in all our best interest for the craft to progress.
Hey Greg, That’s great stuff. I’m makin’ some of it myself and making sure I don’t eat it at all. It’s what I’m trying to do with fins in my miniture way. I sent you some attachments of some stuff that’s going off to Hawaii for big swell trial. Did you get it. I need some epoxy and hardener too. Check you email and get back to me OK? 8 to 10 feet here today. Have you been surfin’ lately? Mahalo, Rich